Earl F. Cramer, age 76, passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home in Prairie du Sac, WI on Sept. 29, 2021. He was born a twin on April 9th, 1945 to the late Frederick and Erma Cramer. Earl grew up in Leaf River, IL where he experienced life on the family farm; he was known for his FFA project raising hogs and earning money from their sale. He graduated from Leaf River High School in 1963. While there, he participated in football, basketball, and played the drums in the school band. Earl went on to attend Northwestern University in Illinois, and briefly at University of New Hampshire. He was drafted into the U.S Army where he served in Vietnam in the 25th Infantry Division from March 1968 to March 1970. He received two Bronze Medals for his service. He then returned to college where he graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Real Estate. Earl met Michelle Rush at a disco-tech and they were united in marriage three years later on Sept. 25, 1982 at St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Loves Park, IL. His career with the Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue in Madison brought them to the Sauk Prairie area. Earl retired in 2006 after nearly a 30-year career with the Wisconsin D.O.T. working with Real Estate Acquisitions.

Earl was known as a "car guy"; from a young age he loved playing with his metal toy cars and bikes, and later driving around the farm on his go-kart. At 17, he was gifted a 1957 Ford Thunderbird, which was the start of his collection of cars that also included a 1975 Ford Mustang Mach 1 and 2000 Pontiac Firebird. In retirement, his hobbies included fixing up his T-bird, playing basketball at the community center and skiing at the local ski slopes. He loved nothing more than to go cruising around the area enjoying the natural beauty. Between work and leisure, he put 500,000 miles on his Chevy Caprice wagon. In the winter, you could find Earl downhill skiing with his daughter, Katelynn, and on occasion "camping out" in the wagon during ski trips.  He was a family man; there were many family trips within WI and he encouraged and supported his daughter through many activities such as figure skating lessons, horseback riding lessons, show choir and sports she participated in.  He enjoyed watching sports, striking up spontaneous conversations, and was a connoisseur of chocolate and cheese.

Earl is survived by his devoted wife of nearly 40 years, Michelle; daughter, Katelynn (Matthew) Stamm of Novato, CA, a sister, Linda (Robert) Newcomer of Leaf River, IL, and is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
In addition to his parents, Fredrick and Erma Cramer, he was preceded in death by his twin brother, Evan Cramer; cousins, Steve Ridenour, James Stine and Richard Hagan.

A memorial service for Earl will be held on Thur. Oct. 7, 2021 at 3:30 pm at Hooverson Funeral Home, 251 Water St., Sauk City, WI.  A visitation will be held from 2:00 pm until the time of service.  Military Honors accorded by the Lachmund-Cramer VFW Post 7694 will conclude the service.  Refreshments and snacks will follow the service until 7 pm at Lachmund-Cramer VFW Post 7694, 700 VFW Dr, Prairie du Sac, WI. A private burial among family will be held on Sunday, Oct 10 in Leaf River, IL.

Michelle and Katelynn would like to express their gratitude to the Health Care Professionals at the V.A. Hospital, the Sauk Co. Veterans Service Office, SSM Home Health Hospice and their neighbors and friends, Mary McCluskey and Bob Kelter for all their help.

Online condolences may be made at hooversonfuneralhomes.com